Beer: Reviews & Ratings

This was a really good Belgian IPA. Almost made me understand why the style is thus named. There were nice yeast and malt notes like a good belgian ale, sweet and alcohol very present. But at the same time the hops just punched your tongue. I really liked this. I'd have it again any day, though it is for sipping slowly. (321 characters)

Outstanding combination. This beer gives equal emphasis to good bitter hoppiness and more subtle Belgian yeast and fruitiness. Poured into mu Chimay goblet as a hazy apricot color. Good bubbly carbonation visible with a small fizzy white head. Head retention is average and there is some light, filmy lacing on the sides of the goblet.

Aroma had most elements of a Belgian Tripel (apples and pears; Belgian yeast) and a good blast of bitter hoppiness instead of the peppery spicing that would be found in most Tripels.

Flavor was about the same. Both elements (Belgian and hoppiness) shared equal time and emphasis. The Belgian yeast and light fruit were most evident up front and in the finish (especially as the beer warmed). There was a solid hoppy presence in the middle.

Mouthfeel is rich and crisp. This is an exceptional beer that I am sure I will enjoy again. (874 characters)

A - Deep orange without much head retention. S - Belgium yeast, hops T - Sweet then leading to some citrus and general hops. Finished with lots of yeast flavor. M - Medium body and dry finish. O - Nice blend that would be nice in a four pack. (246 characters)

Very unique. All the fruitiness of Belgian ale with lots of clove banana and maltiness goodness. Work in the nice hoppy finish that one would expect from west coat friends. The finish also let's through the banana bread taste as well. After thought of the combination of two great types of beers makes this one of my recent favorites! Very exciting new type of beer for me. (378 characters)

T- Bitter, lots of spice character of cloves and maybe even a touch of caraway?

M- Medium nice and creamy

O- I didn't really care for this one, I'm not really a fan of the style in general, I don't find Belgian yeasts really complement higher hopping that well. One note of caution for me though is that I had this at a place where the beer sometimes has a funny taste to it, so I might have to grab a bottle of this sometime to compare. (595 characters)

pours with plenty of carb. big time head and retention. color is good. still has a slight haze and an orange body. aroma has really calmed down with time. a little bit of oxidation, but really not that off-putting. however, hop aroma is highly diminished. still getting some of that booze as time hasn't eliminated all that yet. again, any hoppiness is virtually eliminated and this now drinks like a big belgian tripel with some time on it. finish is still very dry. getting a mild metallic flavor as well.

original review from 5-2-11. best before date not indicated.

A: maybe a slight haze on this orange body. good looking white head looks thick and has great retention. loads of carbonation can be seen as well.

S: a real breadiness from the yeast can be detected. similar to fresh baked banana bread. the citrus/earth is evident as well and plays nicely with the above described aromas.

T: this is a biggie. banana working with a nice black pepper spice. a little bit of alcohol (not entirely ridiculous considering the 9.2% nametag). a smooth vanilla. hop flavors are present as well, but are more of the earth variety.

T: Holy Moly! A lot going on here. Banana/Clove yeast like flavor quickly gives way to piney, spicy hops. This is a wonderful hybrid of Belgian Tripel followed by West Coast IPA. This is a big league beer, as to be expected from Green Flash.

M: The only drawback on this is mouthfeel. It is a little light, but only because my expectations were higher with the ABV. Surprisingly drinkable.

O: Highly recommended. If you like this style, Green Flash nails it. I have had 3-4 different Belgian IPAs and this is definitely the best I've had thus far. (658 characters)

Nose is very Belgian. Very fruity esters, primarily banana and orange/lemon zest. The fruity yeast combines quite well with the grapefruit and citrus notes in the hops. White pepper and cloves are also very prevalent. Malt is subdued, with the yeast at the forefront followed by hops. Just a slight touch of generic graininess.

Very fruity flavor, and as in the nose the citrus hops and bright yeasty esters are working together in harmony. Very little acidic hoppiness, but the orange and grapefruit are definitely telling me that "this is a DIPA." Slight touch of alcohol, pale malt, and a nice dry/spicy peppery finish.

Substantial body with a moderate level of carbonation. Very soft and smooth on the palate with a slight alcohol warming, balanced perfectly with the spicy yeasty finish.

Overall, this is a pretty standard DIPA brewed with a good, but not exceptional Tripel yeast. It could be better, sure, but the hops and the yeast combine to give this thing an extraordinary balance. It's deceptively drinkable and relatively refreshing for such a high gravity beer. Drink this. (1,265 characters)

MMM MMM good! I love this smooth baby. I usually get it bottled and can't remember if I've had it on tap. I've only see it in bombers so far. Nice little treat to have on occasion! I've run out of things to write but I have to reach 200 characters... ;) (253 characters)

Poured from bottle into a tulip glass. A cloudy dull orange brew with an odd head, a matrix of small bubbles surrounded by a sleeve of much larger bubbles. Fairly good head retention. Aroma is bright and fruity, very citrus-forward (fresh orange juice) with a decent blast of sweet yeast and Belgian clove-like spice, apple, cotton candy. Palate is a very close split between Belgian tripel and American IPA, as advertised. Often a take on this style will skew decidedly one way or the other, but this exemplar really does try to meld the two in equal measure. Very bitter hop finish and tons of citrus hop flavor, orange and grapefruit rind and flesh plus a tinge of tropical nectar for good measure, mango and melon. Also getting a pungent spice like equal measures of clove and cumin, black pepper and cardamom, faint butterscotch and banana chips/peel. A whiff of bandage-like phenols. Rather spicy and pungent at first but softens over time to reveal a fruit cocktail sweetness that begins to dominate the proceedings late. Quite fizzy and there's a little booze in the finish. I dig the whole laundry list of flavors to find in here and one can telescope in and out to alternate between citrus hops and Belgian spice. For all the shit Green Flash gets for various reasons beyond the scope of this review, they produce world-class IPAs and rather solid Belgians as well, and here is where they meet. (1,404 characters)

A - A nice light, golden amber.S - Smoky and spicy. Rich and aromatic. Outstanding. T - Again, subtle smoke flavor. Spice, is it clove? Very well balanced but at the same time complex. M - Fantastic, very drinkable for the style.O - Delicious. I believe I'll have to find this in stores.

A - Color is burnished gold with some orange. Hazy. Off-white head is thick, persistent and sticky, more like the yeast cap of fermenting beer during high krausen. Thick, sticky lace on the glass. A very nice looking beer.

S - Aroma is like a hoppy trippel. Bready, clean malt, cotton candy, bubblegum. The hops are earthy and woody and not overly strong in the nose. I may have an aged example whose hops have suffered, because I can't tell this has Imperial IPA as a part of its heritage. There is a bit of funky farmhouse character in the background.

T - The flavors are well balanced between malt and hops. Graham cracker, bready malt mixed with earthy hops. Some black pepper, leather, maybe the tiniest bit of horse blanket. High hops bitterness that cuts the slightly sweet finish. Complex and delicious.

M - Thick body combines with fine carbonation to give a creamy sensation. Some alcohol presence. All is pleasant for this big beer.

O - This is a big, complex malt monster, in my sample. The Belgian heritage is obvious and delicious. If it was intended to have Imperial IPA character, the aroma is way too muted, but that is probably due to an aged example. (1,215 characters)

Flavor in the mouth has a lot going on, sweet malts up front, followed by mango/pineapple, with some bourbon-like wood on the back end. Alcohol content is definitely a ghostly presence, but not frightening. Goes down easy.

This is quite good. I'm a malt guy who loves double IPA's, but not regular IPA's. The key, here is the Belgian quality, the hop bitterness backstopped by strong fruit-juice sweetness and bready grain. I like it nearly as much as my favorite IIPA's, Double Trouble, Hopslam, Lupulin Maximus, Lagunitas Maximus, and the like.

What I identify in my more memorable Belgian pale ales and Belgian strong pale ales (and which I don't get here) is that banana-taffy flavor and aroma. I think that might be what some reviewers call a "tropical fruit" flavor? Wish I knew what gives a Belgian that odd banana sweetness. Time for research mode... (1,035 characters)

I wasn't sure what to expect when I purchased this beer- I was quite surprised- it' s a different tasting beer, and excellent.

Poured in a Mikasa tulip, the beer has a cider color with a 1F head.

The aroma is nice- not overwhelming, but distinctive: vanilla, spice, lemon, fruit, clove.

The mouth feel is not overly carbonated.

Taste: this beer is a combo of a Imperial IPA and a Trippel. The grapefruit is not like a typical DIPA, it's more understated, and it blends well with the fruity, spicy character of the taste attributed to the Trippel style.

The finish is hoppy, medium bitterness, and spicy. One of the best finishes I have tasted in a beer with hops, clove, and spice in its profile.

Overall- an excellent beer. Very different. It combines the best elements of a Trippel and a DIPA: hops, bitterness, spice, clove, and lighter fruit. (852 characters)

Appearance: Pours a golden-orange color with a substantial off-white head that dissipates slowly. Just enough carbonation bubbles can be seen rising from the bottom of the glass- quite enticing to look at.

Smell: Before even putting my nose up to the glass I caught a few whiffs of what smelled like white grape, or possibly even champagne; upon closer inspection this remained. The closer look, however, also revealed notes of lemon, grass, and just a hint of breadiness.

Taste: As the bottle advertises, this truly tastes like a blend of tripel with American imperial IPA. Begins with fairly aggressive West Coast hoppiness which rounds out to a yeasty, bready flavor before finishing with citrus zest topped off with herbal flavors. Some bittersweet alcohol right at the end, as well.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with balanced carbonation and a boozy finish that yields to hoppy dryness.

Overall: Again, this is not necessarily what one would think of when the term "Belgian IPA" is bandied about. This is a tripel souped up with West Coast dry hopping. Excellent. (1,106 characters)

Red-orange pastel amber with a proud standing head of white. Foam sits over an inch thick. Holds strong. Laces as it falls.

Fresh apricot, lemon, pomelo, and some Belgian pale maltiness. A little grassy, and a little musty. Could be extra soft, or possibly a little oxidized.

Has a hoppy bite with some Green Flash citrus. Light estery qualities from the Abbey yeast. The tripel barely bleeds through past the Imperial IPA, which is unfortunate. It's a little more deteriorated from when I've had it before on-tap. Notes of lime, melon, grapefruit, and apricot. American hops aren't entirely out-of-place. It's evidently missing balance between the two ales.

The body actually takes flight with good crispy drinkability. Carbonation is very perky and adds great texture.

Pours a beautiful golden amber with fluffy white foam, with better than average lacing. Floral hop and bubblegum predominate the nose with some herbaceous earthy spice coming in at the end. Floral, slightly bitter grassy hops start leading into traditional Belgian spice and yeast with clove and bubble gum flavors. Slightly sticky on the palate with a peppery drying finish, and slightly tinny aftertaste. This will be a go to this Spring. (441 characters)

Pours a slighty hazy medium gold with a fluffy white head. Average head retention and lacing.

Tons of yeasty Belgian esters hit in the aroma with bubblegum being predominate. Some clove and orange underneath but it is quite buried.

The flavor also continues the yeasty theme and closely follows the aroma. There is more citrus present, however, that I assume is from the massive amount of hope. Bitterness is on the high side but it helps to balance out the sweetness. Finish is slightly sticky.

Overall, a very well put together Belgian IPA that nicely balances the hop notes with the yeast esters. Alcohol is well-hidden as well. Definitely one to pick up. (691 characters)

"Fusion" beers scare the hell out of me, but it's GF, so gonna give it a try.

Pure amber color with a thick, craggy, off-white head.

Orange and lemon and yeast to the nose up front, followed by a pointed earthiness, piney hops, taffy, and far-off spice. Complex, pleasant and unique. I'm starting to question my initial apprehension, but the true test is yet to come

Has an interesting mix of sweet and bitter with smooth light fruits (orange, pear, grapefruit), caramel, pine, and a hint of vanilla and cumin. Fabulous and flavorful with all components working equitably.

Medium to heavy body with a noticeable fusel alcohol heat. Firm where needed and yielding when called for. I stand corrected, and bring me another. (725 characters)